Joanna Yeates's killer is now a convicted sex offender after admitting four charges of possessing indecent images of children.

Dutch engineer Vincent Tabak, 37, was jailed for life in October 2011 for the murder of his 25-year-old neighbour at her flat in Clifton, Bristol.

Tabak strangled Miss Yeates, a landscape architect whose boyfriend was away for the weekend, in a sexually motivated attack on December 17 2010.

He dumped her partially-clothed body on a snowy verge in Failand, near Bristol, where it was discovered by walkers on Christmas morning.

Detectives investigating the case found violent images on his Dell laptop, including explicit videos of a blonde woman being throttled.

They also discovered 145 indecent images of children, including photographs of "pre-pubescent" girls being sexually abused by adult men.

Tabak was charged in connection with the images in December 2013 and was due to stand trial at Bristol Crown Court today.

He admitted four charges after Judge Neil Ford QC, the Recorder of Bristol, rejected an application by his defence to stop the case.

Judge Ford jailed Tabak for 10 months but said the sentence had to start immediately - meaning no increase on his minimum 20-year term for Miss Yeates's murder.

"There were a total of 145 images found on your laptop computer which was seized by the police in January 2011," the judge told Tabak.

"Of these, 129 were in category C, the least serious category. Ten were in category B, the next category up on the level of seriousness.

"Six were at category A, more most serious category of images of this sort. There is an aggravating feature with the age and vulnerability of the child or children who were pre-pubescent.

"You have no previous convictions for behaviour of this sort and as part of the life sentence you are presently serving you are seeking assistance in relation to sexual offending."

The judge said Tabak would remain on the Sexual Offenders' Register for 10 years and banned him from working with children or young people.

"Mr Tabak, you can return to prison now," the judge told Tabak, dressed in a smart black suit and blue tie.

Tabak showed no emotion as his sentence was read, nor as he was escorted down to the cells by five security officers.

Dean Armstrong QC, on behalf of Tabak, had argued his client could not have a fair trial due to his notoriety and portrayal in the ITV drama The Lost Honour Of Christopher Jefferies.

The barrister said Tabak had been shown attempting to implicate Miss Yeates's landlord Mr Jefferies in the two-part programme, which aired in December.

Mr Armstrong also raised concerns over the motivation behind this second prosecution of Tabak, who is likely to be deported to his native Netherlands.

"This man cannot get any more in terms of his sentence," he said.

But David Bartlett, prosecuting, said it was important that Tabak was legally recognised as a convicted sexual offender.

Tabak admitted four counts of possessing indecent images of children on his Dell laptop between January 2009 and 2011.

Two counts of making indecent photographs of children between 2009 and 2011, relating to 23 images found on external hard drives, were ordered to lie on file.

Mr Bartlett said the majority of images related to two teenage girls of "relative maturity" and were in the least serious category.

"But some of the most serious category are not, they are of pre-pubescent girls," he added.

Tabak was interviewed in prison in March 2012 but refused to answer any questions, stating that he could not have a fair trial, Mr Bartlett said.

His former girlfriend told officers Tabak admitted to having "a lot of pornographic material on the computer" but claimed to have deleted it before they moved in together.

Temporary assistant chief constable Julian Moss, of Avon and Somerset Police, said the prosecution was "crucial".

"Vincent Tabak is a dangerous, calculating and manipulative offender who is already serving a life sentence for the murder of Joanna Yeates," Mr Moss said.

"During the course of the investigation into Joanna's murder, indecent images of children were found on Tabak's laptop. These offences did not form part of the initial murder trial.

"Although he's serving a minimum tariff of 20 years' imprisonment, we felt it was crucial Tabak was brought to justice for possessing indecent images of children, so the full nature of Tabak's offending is on record."

Mr Moss said the conviction meant an "extensive range" of protective measure could be put in place to manage his behaviour and protect those at risk.

It will have a direct impact on how he is managed in prison and how he is monitored and managed upon his release, he added.

"It's possible he may return to the Netherlands following release, so it's crucial the Dutch authorities are aware of the risks he poses," Mr Moss added.

"This could only have been guaranteed if a relevant conviction relating to a sexual interest in children were secured.

"Joanna's murder was a shocking and terrible crime which had a significant impact on the whole of the Bristol community and I hope this latest conviction will ensure her killer is unable to cause any further harm."

Nicola Haywood, deputy chief crown prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service, added: "This conviction means that Mr Tabak will be eligible to receive different rehabilitation to that he will have been receiving following his conviction for a sole offence of murder."